Save Globe Wilkins!

‘We all know that early childhood education makes more difference to children’s life chances than anything else. The kids at Globe Wilkins are literally receiving the best start to their education of any group of children across Australia.’ Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne, 5 March 2018

Globe Wilkins is the only Inner West preschool to receive the Australian Childcare Education and Care Quality Authority Excellence Rating, the highest rating a service can achieve. It is one of only 13 preschools in NSW awarded this rating and the only preschool in Sydney to have received it more than once.

Unfortunately, this incredible preschool faces an uncertain future. The lease on the grounds where it has resided for 20 years expires at the end of 2019 and the preschool has been informed there is no intention to renew it. (This in turn could end May Murray, Marrickville's unique and beloved early childhood centre of over 40 years: visit the Hands Off May Murray! petition for more info.)

We believe the closure of Globe Wilkins Preschool would be a devastating loss to our community. Furthermore, Globe’s closure is at complete odds with the Department of Education’s policy, which advocates for increased access to high-quality Early Childhood Education, citing research that this not only gives children the best start at school but sets them up for the rest of their lives.

What does Globe’s closure mean for our community?

Globe has the highest number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children enrolled across all Council Early Learning Centres. Globe has an exceptional commitment to promoting Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander culture, collaborating closely with the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) in creating an Indigenous Cultural Framework to guide theory and practice in ECE settings, including implementing a localised, endorsed Sydney Aboriginal Preschool Language program. Globe also employs an Aboriginal educator to foster and reinforce a sense of cultural identity and to provide a strong Aboriginal role model while learning in an authentic way.

Globe also has the highest number of children enrolled who experience a disability, across all Council centres. Educators at Globe strive and advocate for practices that achieve the goal of true inclusion of children who experience a disability.

The closure would dismantle a highly knowledgeable, dedicated and passionate team of educators (with 165 years’ of experience collectively), whose long-term commitment to Globe bucks the trend of high educator turnover elsewhere. The staff are leaders in their field, at the forefront of global research in ECE; they provide training for early childhood educators across the country and are regularly approached for research studies, based on their long-standing reputation for high-quality practices.

Globe strives to create a fairer and more equitable playing field for everyone in the community, in particular those who experience a disability, the disadvantaged and Indigenous children. External agencies such as Australian Refugee Council, Brighter Futures and Plumtree consistently refer families to Globe for guaranteed exceptional care and education.

Closing Globe also means fewer childcare spaces and longer waiting lists for Inner West families – of the present and future – despite an ever-growing demand for early childcare services in the area.

Please act now to save our exceptional local preschool and ensure that future generations have access to the best possible start in life.